Variety (January 1924)

Thursday, January 3, 1924 V A R I K T Y ^ 15 YEARS WITH CIRCUSES ByE. F.ALBEE ** Titera duesn't seem to )>e any- thing that Interests readers of pe- riodicals more than the early atrus- Kles of men who have been success- ful In life. In most every case those who have attained these positions have come from very humble sur- roundings, and passed through all thf vl(U>isitud<:s uf an early struggle to gain a foothold, and by applica- tion, whether it be In training the mind or energetic development of any bucineKs choKcn (or a future livelihood, tt.ereamuet be that un- •elftsh devotion to the principle ami to acquirements in ilie service to be rendered; huarv must not coun 4a>'s are tolled off without knowl- edge as to r. hither it is Monday or t'Aiurd^l^^ tbe Rveat burning desir< to acc<ll|Q^'li h eomethln,-; permeate* tbe entire mind und body of tbos^ w)io in af er year^ have reached a position of in)iioit»iK#' I have been asked to write of my ear;y life aad my iiip:*«i4ons of my chosen profession for Var'ety um Clipper. From 12 to 13 there war^n't much of anyth'-ifi I didii t do. Uk" most boys, I sold paporj. worked in ■tores of divers Iclnci, and at If I joined the Barnum otihows. What • n experience; I traveled all ove.- this vHst country, \ rtlting new sec- tions and new towns- every uay There were ftw w.ek iftand.s. in iho. i< days .Vow York war ne.er con^dertd. e:wcept in Jh? wln'- ter time. We sliowed for a day in Jei-aey t-'ity. Brooklyn, then Bos- ton, l'hiladel|ihla. Cev-^lnnd. Chi- cago and ail of the big i Hies an ) most of the mlddle-sizrd town's, even to tlie FmaUcEt villages. wi;ere those who came to se° the show traveled—some for two dayti—and camp<>d dut waiting for the show to arrive. Thi» was more preva- lent with the Witgon shows th;in the railroad circuEes. I remember the first Wagon show 1 traveled with—Burr Robbia'a. I Joined it In I i-dley, in the eoutbern part of Ohio. It was at tile time when natural gas and oil were dis- covered there. Oil City, witli its bustling, thriving, pulsating activ- ity was more liiie a rich mining camp where gold had been discov- ered In great quantities. Houses were built on stilts and it resem- bled 4nore a village in the Black Hills, which I visited in later years, when mining was the principal oc- cupation there. We traveled at night. The ele- phants would start flrat. The dls- tane* from one show place to an- other with a wagon show %/as from K to 30 miles, and from 60 to CO miles on Sunday. We ^would start out early Sunday morning, after the Saturday evening show, and travel all day. A man always preceded the ■how and laid out the route. °A rail fenc« was an Indication of the turn to the right or left. It was placed in the road in such a position that it would 8:ulde the show wasons which came along the way to turn. We usually stopped on the outskirts of the town we were to show in, generally by the bank of a river or str«am of eome kind where the wag- ons could be washed, and the place would indicate more thai^ anything else a KWY camp at tbe break of day. All kinds of contrivances for .shaving were use4, and after every- one httd polished up their clothes and ehoes and made themselves gen- erally presentable, and breakfast was over the parade would start. Hiding en a Mule Wagon The first night I Joined the show { ¥kas a^slsrcd to a wagon that luid •i cnu.-.'e of mules 'hitched to it. There v.-.isii't any room inside the wagon for me to lay oown, so I was obi:;;e^ to sit on the driver's eat. I had a tlglit derby hat and a short light Melton overcoat that just about caire to my hips, and inasmiirh ns I ha<i Juet come from >he Barnum show In Canada, I'felt -qui e a spor^ and Was looked upon with aonie envy by the show fol'is .\ftcr riding all night with nothing ;o cover my knees, the dri'.er going nine mi'es off the road and the old rr ule» getting balky, by the time the «un started to rise and I commenced to thaw ou>, for I was half frozen. I was a wlt»d proposit'on. I had a very exciting experience • fer.' Anyit a.'et- I Joined the Burr roL'bin show. We camped on a lot that was reparatrd from the main str.eet of th'j town by a river. I should say atout Ave or six feet deep, with an easy embankment running up to the show lot and also to the main street, wh'ch was all there was to the town. Kveryone in the circus took part in the parade. My nssiimment was to ride a camel r.lih a frog's eult and a frog's head As ! onie part of the parade would always lag behind and then start to catch up. the camel would start to run or to amble, so that all I could do was to hold on to the sad- dle, and with the frog'.<< head turn- ing this way and that way, I wae never able to see where I was go- ing except when the camel would get Into the regular stride, and I could release my hands from the saddle and adjust the headpiece. After leaving the circus lot, pass- ing over the bridge and parading up the main street, we came abreast of the circus lot, when the camel started to amble, the frog's head commenced to turn this and that way,, and I felt myself going down the embankment, and then my legs were encased In water and the camel commenced to bellow. I finally decide^ he might want a drink, so I released the reins that went over the crosspiece, which is on erery camel's saddle, and he drank and then leisurely wended his way up the circus lot, leaving the OLD CONEY ISLAI^ DISAPPEARING BARBARA BRONELL BT.UUtIKU IN »MY CHINA DOLL" Season's Greetings to AH My Friends Repraaenta 11 ve WILLIAM.P. MURPHY, Variety, Neg^ York • JOHNNIE— —VIVIENNE JAMS and LELAND SPECIALTY DANCERS, MOULIN ROUGE, NEW YO:. 1 SEASON'S GREETINGS TO ALL "Janis nnil l.cUincI have danre<l thoir w.-jy into the lirnrt:-- of .Moulin Rouge putronH. Their specialty, wliiih i.s the fc.-iture of WilliHm ArnoM's 'Oirls of Today' rovue, has l)een running at the Moulin Ittiuge I't tho past foiiT months."—BL'N-GLOBi:, N. Y, "'-' parade to take care of itself. Of cSurae, I was the butt for hilarity from tbe towhepeople who were viewing the parade, and the kidding which I received from.the members of the show was such that a newcomer's life waa not made very pleasant. However, it fru a wonderful cs- perlenee. driviiiv over reads, hills and mountains, fording streams in tbe early hours of the morning, the clear, brac1i}g air and the excite- ment of it all for a boy was an ex- perience not soon to be for><tten. Full ef Enthusiasm The die was cast, I was to be a showman, and I entered Into the spirit of It all with the enth-jslasni of a youth of Ft. I traveleil with every principal circus, in ev>ry s'ate. and tn my opinion the advantages gained which flf* u man for later yeara in businesj cai)not be fou-iJ m any other calling; nor the divers ex- periences r/hlch one encounters In traveling with a circus—the r.ovelty the pra.''tlcal, the contact nith all classes, the knowledge of the condi- tion of the country. Its finances. Its industry mnd its farmin.;. Every phase of nature la expjrlciiced. the laws of the different itales. citifcf, villages, towns and boroughs, thp different methods of applying these laws to practical living. I remember traveling thr.iugli Missouri when the Jamss and Fonl boys were alive. I later visited Jesse James' house where he was shot. I went through town? that had no court houae, .lelt-clnien or laws, excepting the law of righteous- ness and decency. An 3Vil doer' in these towns was reprimanded by his neighbors, and in these communities there was less crime than In places where all the maje.sty of the law was exercised. There was plenty to ob- serve, plenty to learn, and if one was Inclined to take advantage of Mtudy- Ing human conditions tn all phases, traveling with a clrcu* gave one the opportunity. > A Happy Lot We were a happy lot, all Interested in each other's affairs, generous to a fault, and if you want to know how show people were taken care of when they met with misfortune, or were ill, let me say no greater ex- ample of human kindness, gener- o:jity and motherly love could t>e ex- perienced anywhere. Tlio women with the show, by the4r cinstant traveling, Iwid bc.'ome pr.ict'cal In nursintf. They hiiil a cure for most overything and they ajiplled 't with pracilcal common sense. I remem- ber bein»! taken 111 In I)c Hutte, Iowa, with a contfcsllvc chill. I was tiikf-n upstalrH in one of the hn-cls It was In th* n\')rn!hB, before break- f'l.sl. Tu'o doi'lor.x came ami e.ich injected niorphlWe, whicli -rtiii't im- prove my .onditlon, Mrs. Lake, mother Of Krnm i Lakrt, line of the Kroitcst of hiKli .«'hool horse rider..;, the horHC Kbe rode ..1 l.l.iok charter) was ^ive,, lier by liiiffalo mil iWilrl Kill's pailneri was Wild Blll'.t w'llow, li • having.- .llcl seme yearst pre', ii'ii.i niir.falo Bill nn.l U'lbl I'.lll wcie iotn|)anlon« atiil prir^m 1 - r.,r yrn.- Tn their scouting > xj,.<iiii,,n> Ihrougliuut the west. .Mrs. I.,aii€ P'imo Inii) the room and onlererl everyone out. She Ilicn took me in haiul as (<he hail tal<»n 01 my a man woman and (hllrl in haml who were i:i In the Blaolt lll'ls .-md in other ■■■erlli.ns of the far west in traveling throHKh th'it part of the country was a bif mu.':tard and meal plaster with her liusbanil. The first tblnK on my stomach .'iiuHhen .1 gla«« of (Contlnueii on p"ge \ti) Visitors CO CTtat celebrated strag- gling strip of sand that strctcho:. from Sh?epshead Bay to Norton'^ Point and rejoices In the name of Coney Island, next season will rub their eyes in wonderment when they glimpse the changes that have been wrought in Ihe section of the Is^e known to the natives as the "west end."^ This is the part of the Island that runs from Henderson's Walk to the big gate which separates the hoi poiloi from the elite who reside In the more subdued artd aristocratic precinct.'* of Sea Gate. {t takes in all of t:.e old amuse- ment center that radiated around Stanch s Dancing Pavilion and in- cluded Henderson's, Inman'a Con- cert >^11, tbe Imperial music hall. College Inn, Scotty Morgan's. Stu- benbord's restaurant, Dream'.'ind's side shows and innumerable smaller entertainment places. The City of New Torlc, which con- structed tbe Boardwalk, has been ac- tive again. This time it's i^ street widening' campaign that s going to w«K*r the magic wand of progress over Coney's twisted and narrow thoroughfares. It will change the place so the oldest Inhabitant will have a hard Job pointing out the jitea that used to be occupied l>y a number of famous landmarks which by the time May SO rolls around or much sooner will have comp'.etely disappeared. ' Among the amusement places tbe street widening progrj^m will have swept out of existence. Henderson's will be remembered as the first music hall on Coney Island :< give a class \-ariety »haw and to cat^r to the patronage of women and chil- dren. Its last performance was given six weeks ago. Henderson's was originally Instituted, for It wa.s an Institution, by the father of the late Fred Henderson. The flret building was a woodeo structure of the type that niifiht be described as the bun- galo. This was built about 4& years ago. The several Ores «hich cleaned out Coney Is^ind from time to time in the 80's and ilO's destroyed sev- eral Mender: on's in turn, until the brick structure, built around 1897. rose on the site of the original. This brick building at this writing Is al- most (femolished. a part of Ihe audi-- torium being all that r<>mains. Sev- eral, times after fires HenderKon s and other Coney resortr gave per- formances in tents. Inman's Casino Inman's Casino Bowery and Hen- derson's Walk, another of the fa- mous land marks to go, <vas 8 con- cert hall, playing a type of Hhow that was the grand daddy ut the present burlesque show at^ It Is known on the Columbia wheel to- day. Inman's was controlled by the In- man Sisters and built about ^0 yeiA-s ago. Like Henderson's places, In- man's was successively destroyed by Are several times. It was at Inman's that Alexander Carr played as a mei.ibcr of the bur- lesque stock company the summer of 190( previous to their engagement with "Wine, Women and Sung." a burlesque show that played a season on Broadway and incidentally estab- lished Carr as a comedian. It was in Inman's an.l .••iiiii:ar concert halls that Carr and noiiierous other star Broadway comedians laid the groundwork of their theatrical edu- cation, receiving a Sihoollng that madt! Broaclwiy sue -er : possible. The i:st of present day vaudeville and legit stars wh.. appeared at In- man's, like those >vhi> played Hen- dersons in their day, will flll a page of this Issue of Clipper. Spieler Outside There was no admission charge to Inman's. The amusement seeker went in at the behest of a bariier or spieler outside the door, who an- nounced in raucous tones, "It's all frc^ Inside." But once inside the seeker of amusemrnt had t^je ubiqitous waiter to reckqn with, for '.he seats of Inman's, like'all con- cert holis of the day, were located nl;out tables and If the sitter didn't order fast enough the waltei wo.uld casually rub the edge of the table with his towel or apron. When the drinks were very slow in course of purchase the Walter would make a complete Job of It and wipe the entire table dry, frequently deposit- ing half of Its soppy contents over the clothes of the i:t>w buyer. The performers ami chorus girls (Inman's always had a ohorua of }4 girls) lived above the concert hall in tbe hotel upstairs. The perferm- ances were contlnuoifs from noon until midnight. The men principals, through the necessity ot being on duty for such long periods would often slip out to eat at a nearby restaurant with their make-up on. It was a com- mon sight to see Irish. Jew, Dutch and ^blacJiface comedians strolling about th» Bowery after having stopped In at a restaurant in full regalia. The show at Inman's was fiven amid crude surroundings and had little, or no "production" to back it up with an audience that was fre- quently cjianginc and with a medley Of strangely assorted noises/coming in from ath^r amusement places nearby, but it was a great show oh the 'average, as far as entertainment and talent was concerned. BEBT LEVEY OOnra HOME Bart Lcvoy. Const clrcOlt <-hlrf, who has recently ettabllshed book- ng ofllces In the Greenwich Bank buildins. Is Rolns back to Lo An- jeles for a sho;-i t?'p to his head- TUaiters, He left Monday nnd'w. I , return in about three weeks. NKjy ykCTB Den Reubens and Charlie AdanA, two-act. ' Una Clayton and Co. (Peggy Dale Whlfftni Herbert Grtmn. J. Mole Bennett), comedy sketch. Elddie Neleon and Mltti Mantey, both with "Bhariee," have two-act. Katherlne ^Hayes (Hayes and Johnson) and Co. (1), in "Friday the 13th," by Kvelyn Hlunchard, pro- duced by C. B. Maddock. Dave Lloyd and Bptty Caldwell in comedy skit. Frank Neville and Peggy Bui t in skit; ■ . • Mack Kanley and Frltzle Howard, two-act. BOB ANDERSON BOB ANDERSON and POLO PON,' E>s#nd the SEASON'S GRCETINGi